Happy customers make a positive contribution not only to a company’s bottom line, but to its marketing and reputation. Now that you’ve gotten to know your customers better, it’s time to start connecting with them in a more intentional, effective way.

1. Tone down the selling.

Customers might be more skeptical than ever before–and with digital and IRL ads cropping up all over the place, can you blame them? The pushy, off-putting, stereotypically used-car-salesman approach just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Instead, take a calm, professional, straightforward but friendly approach with customers. Rather than being overly enthusiastic and in-your-face about your products, take a seat with potential or existing customers and ask them about their needs. You can still appeal to emotion–it’s responsible for the majority of our decision-making, after all. Just be sure to do so in a way that offers to solve their problems, rather than wearing them down.

2. Be responsive and compassionate toward customer concerns.

When addressing customer concerns, make sure to ask questions, pay attention, and offer a solution. Customers need to know you are invested in resolving their issue. Respond quickly to customer emails, reviews, and calls, as well. The best solution to a customer complaint is worthless if it’s offered too late.

Good customer service is all about timing and empathy. Sure, your customers can be a pain sometimes, and maybe they aren’t always right (*gasp!*), but they are your business’s most valuable resource, so treat them right.

3. Keep customers updated and informed.

When you keep customers in the loop, you can tell them more about your organization and be the first to come to mind when they need your services. Storytelling also helps you build your brand. Depending on your business and the customers you serve, there are many different ways to accomplish this:

• Blog posts
• Social media updates
• Email campaigns
• Newsletters
• Mobile push notifications
• Special reports

This is also a great way to show customer appreciation. Send thank-you messages, special discounts, and even holiday greetings to existing customers to stay in touch and keep them engaged.

4. Create a solid, but flexible, plan.

Once you have some ideas of how to connect with your customers, it’s time to create a plan around those ideas. Create specific, actionable steps and ways to measure their success. Determine who will lead and fulfill these changes. However, it’s also important not to take a one-size-fits all approach and use the same tactics for every single customer.

Need great content to help connect?

I help healthcare organizations and medical professionals produce marketing content and sales copy to help them tell their stories, keep customers updated, and share information more effectively. Visit emjwriter.com or email me to learn more about what I can do for you!